# LXD vs prefect

> Two self-hosted projects, compared on the numbers selfhost.directory tracks live: score, popularity, release cadence and setup effort.

| | LXD | prefect |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 70/100 | 80/100 ✓ |
| Rank in category | #3 of 15 in Virtualization | #5 of 32 in Workflow Automation |
| GitHub stars | 4 841 | 24 090 ✓ |
| Stars, last 30 days | +10 | +178 ✓ |
| Stable releases, 12 months | 18 ✓ | 17 |
| Latest release | lxd-6.10.0 · 17 Oct 2026 | 2.20.27 · 23 Oct 2026 ✓ |
| Setup | Easy ✓ | Moderate |
| Official Docker image | No | Yes ✓ |
| License | AGPL-3.0 | Apache-2.0 |
| Main language | Go | Python |

## Which one should you pick?

prefect scores 80/100 against 70/100 for LXD, so it is the safer default.

LXD ships more often: 18 stable releases in the past year, against 17 for prefect.

If you want the quickest setup, LXD is easier to run; prefect needs more configuration.

prefect is growing faster right now (+178 stars in 30 days).

## Details

- [LXD](https://selfhost.directory/project/lxd) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/lxd.md)
- [prefect](https://selfhost.directory/project/prefect) (markdown: https://selfhost.directory/project/prefect.md)

## Related comparisons

- [Kestra vs prefect](https://selfhost.directory/compare/kestra-vs-prefect)

---
Source: https://selfhost.directory/compare/lxd-vs-prefect